Boston, Mass. -- The FBI’s Boston Division, Middletown Police Department, Rhode Island, and Roger Williams University are jointly hosting a four day FBI Child Abduction Response Deployment (CARD) training course in Portsmouth, Rhode Island from December 13-16, 2011. Over 28 participating state and local law enforcement agencies from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire are participating in the four day training event.
“In facilitating educational opportunities such as this one, our goal is to advance communication and collaboration among law enforcement agencies, particularly for situations as critical as those involving a missing child,” said Robert McKenna, director of the Justice System Training and Research Institute at Roger Williams University. “Bringing together the expertise of the FBI with state and local agencies at the Justice Institute is the ideal public/private partnership – one that will enhance the ability of authorities to respond and to ultimately protect the communities they serve.”
The FBI CARD training prepares federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to respond to reports of a missing child. Training topics include the foundations of violent crime against children; child abduction investigative strategies; investigative techniques such as cell phone analysis and polygraphs, victim assistance; and child abduction case studies. The training includes an eight hour child abduction practical exercise. Pre-selected citizens of Middletown and a Canine Unit of the Rhode Island State Police (RISP) will assist in the roles of witnesses and canine search and rescue unit. The Middletown citizens and RISP will be instrumental in creating an authentic search and rescue experience for the CARD participants.
Statistics indicate that a child goes missing every 40 seconds in America. It is essential for law enforcement agencies to respond quickly and jointly with the singular goal of locating the child.
“One missing child is too many. Protecting the innocent and saving children’s lives is a commitment which never waivers,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division Richard DesLauriers. “As with any violent crime, especially those committed against children, time is our adversary. Every second, every minute, every hour counts in locating a child and bringing them home safely. This training gives us the knowledge to respond quickly and effectively. ”
The FBI is authorized by the Federal Kidnapping Statute to immediately jointly partner with state and local authorities to investigate child abduction. In recognition of the necessity of a quick and comprehensive response to such incidents, the FBI’s CARD Team was created in 2006 and is composed of seasoned FBI investigators with specialized experience in child abduction matters. The FBI has 68 special agent team members nationwide that are able to rapidly deploy anywhere in the United States. The teams are designed to provide investigative, technical, and resource assistance during the most critical time period following child abduction.
Most recently, the CARD Team members were deployed to assist New Hampshire law enforcement officials when Celina Cass went missing in July 2011.
For more information regarding the FBI CARD Team, go to FBI.gov/card.